Education News

A re-imaged sports program for De La Salle College

De La Salle College recently launched a sports initiative is the first stage of a longer-term strategic plan to promote and enhance a broad range of sports and other co-curricular pursuits at the College.

Stage one of De La Salle College, Malvern’s new sport program is to provide students with an aspirational Australian Football League (AFL) program. Australian Rules is the sport of choice for many students and Old Collegians, and building
a strong and resilient football program remains a key priority. Alongside our strong relationship with De La Salle Old Collegians Amateur Football Club, the College is developing a football program and pathway for Years 5 – 12, invigorating the College’s strong football tradition.

This year, we announced Michael Barlow (former Fremantle and Gold Coast player) as our AFL Senior Coach, coaching the First XVIII team. Michael will also work with the Kennedy Club for Year 7 – 9 footballers, as part of our High Performance Sports Program. In another coup for the College, Richmond and GWS legend, Brett Deledio, will be assisting Michael and Andrew Raines (former Richmond, Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast Suns player) from One on One Football to facilitate our AFL pathways program.

The new sports program complements the College’s High Performance Sports Program. Launched in 2021, the High Performance Sports Program coaches students interested in football, soccer, basketball, cricket, swimming and athletics. Students nominate themselves to join this program aiming to improve their skills, learn from sports professionals and experience high performance training.

Our Year 5 and 6 students participate in the Dendy Sports Competition which is an interschool sports ACC Sport has a strong tradition at De La Salle College. The College is part of a group of 13 Catholic Secondary Schools which compete in weekly sports fixtures and three major carnivals; athletics, swimming and cross country competition beginning in Term 2 with Lighting Premierships against other Catholic Primary Schools. Sports include AFL, netball, soccer, basketball, cricket, district cross country championships and athletics. Our Primary students gain experience in sports competitions prior to being eligible to try out for an Associated Catholic Colleges (ACC) team from Years 7 – 12.

ACC Sport has a strong tradition at De La Salle College. The College is part of a group of 13 Catholic Secondary Schools which compete in weekly sports fixtures and three major carnivals; athletics, swimming and cross country. ACC programs also include debating, art and technology exhibitions and music performances.

At the 2022 ACC Swimming Carnival, Ryo Hayashi (Year 11) broke the ACC U16 50m butterfly record which was previously held by a Whitefriar’s College student in 2010. Ryo is a stand-out swimmer and competes across the country in various swimming meets including the Australian Age Championships (Nationals). He is a valuable member of our Torpedoes swimming squad which trains at Harold Holt Swim Centre. The swim centre is a convenient short walk from our Tiverton and Kinnoull Campuses.

This year, we welcomed new staff member, Adriana Szili, a former professional tennis player to the College. Most notably, Adriana won the girl’s doubles title with Casey Dellacqua at the 2002 Australian Open. Adriana joins us as a teacher and College Organiser. She recently spoke about her achievements to staff and students at our annual International Women’s Day Breakfast.

Our strong sports program and strategic approach, complements classroom learning, wellbeing support and the variety of co-curricular programs on offer. There is a pathway for every student from Year 5 – 12, at De La Salle, Malvern.

For further information visit: https://www.delasalle.vic.edu.au/

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